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Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Swing Thought Paralysis

So I am finally ready to emerge from my two month work-induced blogging hibernation to get back to writing about our favorite topic. It was like the work groundhog came out of his cave in July and predicted two more months of all-nighters. Work is but a distraction from enjoying the finer things in life, like the feel of a well-struck golf ball. Or sleep. But I digress...

Before I get into some Ryder Cup posts later this week (I am so pumped for the event I can't stand it!), I wanted to talk about swing thoughts and my own recent experience with them.

I know that many of you, like me, spend alot of time thinking about mechanics and how you can tweak your swing in a way to get more consistent results. The amount of time I spend thinking about my golf game could stun a team of oxen.

But when you are standing over the ball, too much thinking can get you into trouble. I have had some problems focusing over the ball during the last couple months because I had too many swing thoughts going through me head. Think of swing thoughts like a fine glass of single malt scotch - one or two are great, but anything more than that and you are going to feel like crap and hate yourself in the morning.

My head was too cluttered over the ball - I was thinking about taking the club away on the right plane, bracing my right leg and coiling around it, starting my downswing with my hips and not my arms, and staying in a balanced finish through impact. It is hard enough to hit the ball as it is - with all of this running through my head it was damn near impossible.

I knew I needed to simplify this. But the big question was what swing thought should I have? The answer came in a recent Golf Digest article I read that highlighted Jason Dufner. He said he focused on his right shoulder - moving it away from the ball on the takeaway and then at the start of the downswing moving it directly toward the ball. I took this sole swing thought onto the course with me a couple times and played two of the best rounds I have had all summer.

So the moral of this story is this: if you are one of those people who have a zillion things running through your head over the ball, try finding one single swing thought that you can focus on and committing to it. Simplicity begets scoring!

Oh man - Id love to get back out for a repeat...and hopefully my friends - the caddy and the lady pro golfer - can join us for a round. She actually just won her season ending event in Daytona to earn her LPGA card for next season. And made an appearance on Morning Drive. Daniela Iacobelli - check her out.

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About Me

Simply put, I am a golf nut! I mean, what's not to love? I currently live and work in New York city, where you wouldn't believe the amount of hoops you have to jump through just to find a place to play. I have an 8.5 handicap and am looking to go lower...sound familiar?